Excellent band, their sound is not too much like Deep Purple or Sabbath, they have their own sound and their own composotion level and taste. Very recomended for fans of good Hard Rock and proto metal of early 70´s. The keyboard "touch" make their sound a little bite "similar" to Deep Purple but they have their own personality. Great guitar playing, drumming, great Vocal work. Really a excellent Hard Rock album.A must have album !!!

Why does Warhorse sound much like Deep Purple? Well, after Nick Simper left DP in ’69, he had to do something, and that thing was Warhorse. Normally I hate to say that one band sounds exceedingly like another, but with these two, it can almost be a mirror image at times. Unfortunately, success only cast a reflection on one of them. The other may as well have been a vampire. Churchy keyboard tones evolve “Vulture’s Blood” from silence, a provocative track with a stirring gait and a guitar/piano rhythm mixture that blends surprisingly well together. More DP-like keyboard winds its way in there, forming a braided effect with the enthusiastic drum work of Mac Poole. “No Chance” is a slower, lyrically driven number with moaning keyboards and vocals that try to passionately embellish the story, but Ashley Holt’s low, more untamed lungs are out of their element there. The lyrics themselves (like the sympathetic blurb below the heading) stretch the boundary of the term ‘ballad’ or even ‘sympathetic writing’, and is another reason the band should remain on the outskirts of that realm. “Burning” triumphantly charges out of the gate with Holt’s manly vocal aggression and a belting riff while “St. Louis” is centered around a swift pace and backing vocal-dominated chorus that Sly and the Family Stone could’ve used to some effect. “Ritual” and its animated tempo continues the album’s mostly hectic pace, that is until “Solitude” (ever hear a joyous song with this title?) drones through with more churchy keys and more of Holt’s heartfelt intones that still sound like he’s treading water. That’s not to say a dramatic moment or two isn’t heaved into the mix, like when the chorus-like verse “…they only want me to lie” rises to a head on a gallant wave of heavy beats. The lengthy “Woman of the Devil” has, I hate to say it, DP written all over it; murmuring, ominous keys…slowly building dynamic rhythm…maracas chanting a tribal nuance around a roiling main riff…some great piercing wails that may even give Rob Halford of Judas Priest pause – I wish that Warhorse had more its own sound, for the artists’ sake, so the credit can be given to them directly and not a shade of another band. The cd features five bonus tracks: supposedly live versions of “Ritual”, “Solitude”, “Woman of the Devil”, and “Burning” and a demo version of the unreleased, more commercially viable “Mrs. Jane”, which incidentally isn’t that bad at all with its high spirited veneer and cool intertwining guitar/keyboard solo. The live tracks aren’t live in the conventional sense, like with an audience, but are recorded on one track and come across as strong alternate versions, accentuating or italicizing certain aspects that may have been overlooked in the original. Link1: http://link-protector.com/x-75440link2: http://link-protector.com/x-75441

Since I was already on a Warhorse kick, I figured I might as well get their second and last lp out of the way. In the two years between efforts, Ged Peck would depart, allowing Peter Parker (yes, Spiderman played on this one) to take over the guitar duties…and it shows. More virile is the guitar playing, especially evident in outstanding, fist-clenching solos, and when tracks like “Back in Time” and the title cut plow through, it’s obvious the band is proud of their augmented muscle. “Back in Time” is a fine mixture of heaviness, drama, and musicianship. The chorus exudes the middle element and is upended by some great proven Ashley Holt cries that detonate a bomb of keyboard-infused guitar. Seething intertwining guitar solos explode at the track’s core, ripping it open right to the end. Predictably, “Confident But Wrong” tones down the heaviness a bit with a mellower, piano-pervaded rhythm that is ultimately overpowered by more weighty riffs and solos. The piano-driven ballad-of-sorts is “Feeling Better”…sigh…alright, though he does sound better, it’s apparent no one in the band has the heart to tell Ashley he’s just not cut out for these earnest numbers, but they endure nonetheless. “I (Who Have Nothing)”, the Shirley Bassey tune already covered by Liquid Smoke twice and about ten other bands, causes me to cringe even before it clicks on ‘cause it’s another slow, disheartened song for Holt to strain, but…low and behold my accusation stands happily bereft of truth as the singer pulls it together for this sincere remodel. The wordless “Mouthpiece” is the most Deep Purple-esque track: semi-ghostly keyboards float slowly into the building lead rhythm that collides with a long combative drum solo to finish the track. For CD bonus selections, a real live rendition of “Ritual” from their debut is present, as well as demo tracks “Bad Time” (an up-tempo foot-tapper that sounds like it could be a covered pop song or something), “She Was My Friend” (a melancholy tune with relaxed backing vocals, chimes, and wispy keys that continually build several dynamic peaks), and “Standing Right Behind You” (strong with a breaking rhythm, cool chorus, and a couple good wails). Another pair of tracks, “Gypsy Dancer” and “House of Dolls”, is cut from slightly different molds, the former more of a slow burner, while the latter more the aggressor with a prominent chorus. After listening to these two lps back to back and with a finer ear, I’ve found I like this band more than I did, say, two weeks ago. Both albums are fine investments, especially for Deep Purple enthusiasts; remember, Nick Simper is in the band, so credibility goes a little further. As far as more bang for your buck, go with Red Sea and its original bonus tracks and not mere reworkings.